Welcome to the #ABTJKO and Studio Company Team Yan Chen!! We are so pleased to announce that Yan Chen, former Soloist with ABT, has been named to the dual positions of Principal Teacher for the ABT JKO School Pre-Professional Division and Rehearsal Director for ABT Studio Company. Yan Chen trained at Shanghai Dance School in China. In 1986, she was selected as one of the first international exchange students to study at @sfballetschool. In 1987, she was awarded the Paris Foundation of Dance Award at the @prixdelausanne. She then joined @thewashingtonballet. In 1993, Chen joined ABT, and six months later, she was promoted to Soloist. Chen performed many leading roles with @abtofficial including the title role in CINDERELLA, Swanilda in COPPÉLIA, the Sylphide in LA SYLPHIDE, Gulnare in LE CORSAIRE, and Juliet in ROMEO AND JULIET, as well as roles in works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, Martha Graham, James Kudelka, Jiří Kylián, Lar Lubovitch, John Neumeier, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and Antony Tudor. Chen has nearly 30 years of teaching experience, with many of her pre-professional students going on to dance in major companies around the world. Since 1994, she served as a guest teacher for Orlando Ballet School and the company. In 2009, she became Ballet Master with Orlando Ballet. She has worked with YoungArts, YAGP, and The American Dance Competition International Ballet Competition. Chen was a member of the ABT Summer Intensive faculty in Orange County from 2005-2015 and New York from 2016-2022. She has also served as a Guest Rehearsal Director for @abtstudioco. “Yan Chen was a beautiful ballerina and a role model to me early in my ABT career,” said Abrera. “I am so happy her brilliant teaching and sterling artistry will shape a new generation of lucky young dancers.” Radetsky agreed: “Yan is a widely admired dance educator and beloved figure in the ABT community. She is a fount of ballerina wisdom with a passion for teaching and an intuitive grasp of individual dancers’ needs. Her excellence and vitality inspire her students and colleagues alike. We are honored to welcome Yan back to our studios.” 📷: @rosalieoconnorphotography